Hi,

I have a problem with my MSI NVidia GTX260 896 MB OC graphics card. It has occured for months rarely but it's getting worse all the time. Affects now perhaps every third event.

I doubt if any other part of the system has anything to do with the problem but they are:

Asus P5Q3
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 GHz
Kingston DDR3 1333 MHz matched pair 2 + 2 GB
Tagan 600W Superrock 80 Plus
Windows/XP SP3 with latest updates via Windows Update
NVidia 191.07 WHQL-certified drivers
Latest DirectX 9.0c update

The problem is that both GTL and GTR2 (The only games I play longer times) occasionally freeze for about 15 seconds. After that time it becomes functional again but everything looks very strange - asphalt can be white or striped, buildings only grey blocks and trees surrounding the track bare grey sheets. If I use Alt-Tab twice to visit the Desktop everything returns to normal. An error message is sent to system log telling video device 0 has met an eternal loop. The likely reason is told to be a defect graphics adapter or an error with the driver programming.

There are no overheating problems and RAM is tested with Memtest86. I have tried several versions of most recent WHQL-certified graphics drivers but nothing has changed this behaviour. I'm quite convinced the problems lies within a defect graphics card, but I'm interested to hear if any of you have met similar problems with the same or any other graphics card? If the answer is yes, has the reason always been a defect graphics card or have you found some other way to solve the problem?

I would appreciate much every clue or notice you may have concerning this particular problem to either support or suspect my conclusion of a defect graphics card.

You can answer in german or english.

Thanks in advance,
Timo

I had the same problem today in GTR2 on NOS VLN and in GTL also in long races on NOS.

If you go into the Nvidia control panel there is an option below VSync which is called(I only know the german term for it):
"Übereinstimmende Texture-Clamp"

In the discription it says if your application has some strange texture artifacts you should switch that option off.
I did it and it seems to solve the problem for me in GTL.

Some say this is only for OpenGL but my experience was that I could do long races on NOS without freeze and those texture problems didn't occur if I switch "Übereinstimmende Texture-Clamp" off.

For GTR2 I cannot say if this is true because today was the first time it happend to me.

Thanks a lot Mental Gear ,

I will wait if there's still more information to come from other members to decide which tricks to try.

This problem can hit me on any track, both on- and offline.

I made the same enquiry at Pilsbierbude forum as well and there I got a screenshot from Finsbert which describes my problem well:



Now I'm especially interested to hear about 4 things:

1. Do members who suffer from this same problem get the same or some other message to their system log. In my case it always comes but with the timestamp I quit GTL or GTR2 to return to desktop, not the moment the problem actually existed.

2. Has any of you with GTX260 from any manufacturer had this problem?

3. Which Windows version are you who have been hit by this problem using? I have OEM license for both XP and Vista but only XP installed at the moment. Dual boot would be possible though.

4. Has any driver with ATI graphics card been (regularly) hit by this problem?

Please keep on giving information either in german or in english...

Cheers,
Timo

Hi

@TJL
i have sometimes the same "bug" that u postet in the srceenshot .He comes and goes without warning ,but not very often and then most times on NOS.

I have a Gainward 8800GT OC with 1GB and the card is not defect.I play games that want more graphicpower as GTl and no crashes or freeze.
Now i changed my OS from Xp to Win 7 and all systems running without problems and no crash in gtl.
In my estimation is a nvideabug


cya Headzy

Hi Headzy,

thanks for the information given.

Your case raises some questions to my mind. If your graphics card is considered to be in perfect order:

1) Was it the OS change that solved the problem - bug with XP?
2) Was it the OS specific graphics driver that solved the problem - bug with XP driver?

Can you remember if you got any error message to your system log.

I wonder if I'm the only one to get error messages to my system log? In that case it still could be a defect graphics card...

@Mental Gear
Do you get error messages to your system log?
I try your hint at next event, that was the only value of that setting not tried already.

More information from members having met this problem are still very welcome - in either language

Cheers,
Timo

@tjl

I switched all the error logging of MS off. Sorry mate.

But I do remember the message after shutting GTL down said:

'nv4_disp.dll' has stopped working or something - this file is located in the folder WINDOWS/system32. I can remember I tried to delete this file and then remove all the rest of files that are not uninstalled if you remove your NV-driver, but this did not change the problem.

tjl schrieb:
Hi,

I have a problem with my MSI NVidia GTX260 896 MB OC graphics card. It has occured for months rarely but it's getting worse all the time. Affects now perhaps every third event.

I doubt if any other part of the system has anything to do with the problem but they are:

Asus P5Q3
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 GHz
Kingston DDR3 1333 MHz matched pair 2 + 2 GB
Tagan 600W Superrock 80 Plus
Windows/XP SP3 with latest updates via Windows Update
NVidia 191.07 WHQL-certified drivers
Latest DirectX 9.0c update

The problem is that both GTL and GTR2 (The only games I play longer times) occasionally freeze for about 15 seconds. After that time it becomes functional again but everything looks very strange - asphalt can be white or striped, buildings only grey blocks and trees surrounding the track bare grey sheets. If I use Alt-Tab twice to visit the Desktop everything returns to normal. An error message is sent to system log telling video device 0 has met an eternal loop. The likely reason is told to be a defect graphics adapter or an error with the driver programming.

There are no overheating problems and RAM is tested with Memtest86. I have tried several versions of most recent WHQL-certified graphics drivers but nothing has changed this behaviour. I'm quite convinced the problems lies within a defect graphics card, but I'm interested to hear if any of you have met similar problems with the same or any other graphics card? If the answer is yes, has the reason always been a defect graphics card or have you found some other way to solve the problem?

I would appreciate much every clue or notice you may have concerning this particular problem to either support or suspect my conclusion of a defect graphics card.

You can answer in german or english.

Thanks in advance,
Timo


Hi Timo,

I have / had the same problem, and since I deactivated this "texture clamp" it appears very seldom on my system! (but still it's possible, may this is a problem about NVIDIA graphics cards? Have a 8600GT/512MB!)

Hope this never appears again!!

Cu on track!



Regards
Holger

Hi,

I made that change to my configuration and already the PBB GT Masters 2 hr event behind without any problems - I hope it stays that way!

In english that setting is called "Conformant texture clamp" - set it off.



A great thank you to all of you for sharing your knowledge and opinion!

Cheers,
Timo

Hi,

as an interim impression I tell you that the hint given by Mental Gear really helped!

For 10 days and 4 events GTL/GTR2 no freezing offline nor online after switching "Conformant texture clamp" ("Übereinstimmende Texture-Clamp" in german) off!

I don't know if that is the final solution but so far so good...

Cheers,
Timo

Good news Timo,

with a clear sight on the track the Corvette will run to victory on final run in the ETCC I hope.

Cheers

B8man

Hi B8man,

...hmmm, psychological warfare!?

The signs are good but better not to share any positions beforehand. The Corvette is not the worst car at Österreichring, that's for sure but the race will be loooooong and anything can happen - it's not over till it's over...

I hope the fuel consumption/tyre wear factors are set in a way they don't favor or discriminate any car.

I wish all the best for every driver in final - let the best driver win!

Cheers,
Timo

PS. This was quite far away from the thread topic but as a topic owner I let this for myself!

Hi Timo,

some time ago my graphic card was defect. I could see many artefacts over the whole display in every game.

There is a tool from ATI, that you can also use with your NVIDIA graphic card, which shows you whether the graphic card produces artefacts or not.

I guess, the tool won't show artefacts in your case, but then you can be sure, that the graphic card isn't defect.

Download-Link:
ATI Tool 0.25 Beta 11

Regards,
Bene

Hi Rene,

thanks for the link!

I'll give it a try just to be sure within warranty time (Still much left).

Cheers,
Timo

It seems this problem is wide spread and well known in all SimBin simulations.
http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/showthread.php? t=133987

Hi Timo,

as an additional information:

I've got an Asus ATI graphics card with a Radeon 4850 and never had any of these problems.

Good luck
Tom

Hi Tom,

for about 2 months no freezing offline nor online with GTL/GTR2 after switching "Conformant texture clamp" ("Übereinstimmende Texture-Clamp" in german) off!

That seems to be nVidia only problem, you lucky ATI card owners!

Cheers,
Timo

Hi Timo,
there is a general issue with ISI based games and Nvidia Cards, such as GTL, rfactor etc.

I had that grafic issues on some tracks (e.g.Suzuka, Macau) and changed several settings in the Nvidia option panel too. The effect seems to be a bit placebo like. And the grafic failures occur nonetheless in an unpredictable manner.

Today I have tested a DLL found at rfactorcentral. It betters the frames with my card (a 9800GT) and also seems to help with the grafic issue. GTL runs more fluidly now. The DLL is called Nvidia FPS Fix 0.30.

Place the DLL into the main GTL folder. If you use the XP tool rename the XD`s d3d9.dll to d3d9_2.dll first.

Cheers,

Taffy (Jens)

Hi Jens,

thanks a lot for your kind help!

As I told in my previous message I have already "totally" (2 months) got rid of those graphics freezes and there's nothing to complain with FPS either.

I have always wondered complaints about very low FPS in some circumstances. I've been there too and not experienced anything similar. I guess there are some technical differences between different series of "top-level" nVidia cards which could explain that.

But as always there's nothing so good it can't be better. I downloaded the DLL you gave me a link to and will give it a try soon. How much more FPS did it give you in your tests?

XP or XD Tool? No, I do not use the XD Tool, by my opinion it's some bling-bling that just doesn't fit the era of GTL!

Anyway, I just hope we all get our SIMs running so smooth that the only reason for good or bad performance lies between the wheel and pedals.

Cheers,
Timo

Hi Timo,

thanks for your reply.

tjl schrieb:
How much more FPS did it give you in your tests?

At the Nordschleife I have got now app. 100 frames/s vs. 50 to 80 Frames/s in a single car testing session. At Le Mans 77 from Virtua_LM now approx 70 frames/s vs 50 to 60 frames/s driving the 935 in cockpit view.

The developer wrote that there is an issue of Nvidia cards (88 and 98 series) concerning the handling of the vertex shaders which leeds to the poor performance compared to ATI cards. My conclusion after testing is that this issue might be also the reason for the grafic failures that some of us encountered from time to time.

tjl schrieb:
XP or XD Tool?

I have ment the XD tool of cause - just in case.

tjl schrieb:
Anyway, I just hope we all get our SIMs running so smooth that the only reason for good or bad performance lies between the wheel and pedals.

Yes sir, I totally agree!

Cheers,

Taffy (Jens)